NEW MACHINERY WILL IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND SERVICES FOR PRODUCERS

Portage la Prairie—The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) will receive $735,000 under Growing Forward 2 for new equipment to support applied research projects for the agricultural sector, Minister of State (Social Development) Candice Bergen, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.

“Our government is proud to support research and innovation to ensure Canada’s agricultural industry remains competitive and prosperous,” said Minister Bergen. “Today’s investment will encourage the adoption of new processes and practices, creating new opportunities for the entire value chain to grow.”

Every year, PAMI conducts about 100 projects in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to address challenges in the agricultural sector, in areas such as equipment design, agronomy and nutrient management. The new funding will be used to make these projects more efficient and provide better service to agricultural clients and farmers in Manitoba and across Western Canada.

“Research and innovation help Manitoba’s farmers adapt to changes in the agricultural industry, discover new opportunities and make ongoing improvements to their own operations,” said Minister Kostyshyn. “The work being done at PAMI today will affect Manitoba’s farms for years to come and we’re pleased to provide this strategic investment.”

Funded items include:

specialized equipment and software needed for projects that require large amounts of data to be collected relatively slowly over a long period of time, like those involving manure processing for energy production;

equipment to measure soil compaction, which can be used to compare the effects of tracked and wheeled farm machinery;

hydraulic system simulation software, which would be used in machinery testing and development projects;

a skid sled that would be used in tractor evaluation projects;

a high-density baler, to help research the feasibility of biomass collection systems; and

a new tractor, which will eliminate the need to rent this equipment for many research projects and reduce overall costs.

“PAMI will put this equipment to use to support innovation in agriculture in Manitoba,” said David Gullacher, president and CEO of PAMI. “Manitoba’s farmers have nearly $4 billion invested in tractors, seeding equipment, pesticide applicators and harvesters, and we now have new tools to study and look for improvements in these machines. We are also going to be able to explore the considerable potential for bio-products in the province.”

In Manitoba, the federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.